It Was a Mistake
by SnydersOfHanover
Summary: Shawn and Juliet cannot fight their feelings for each other anymore. A Shules former one-shot, now a two-shot and likely full story, set sometime in season 4, while Shawn was dating Abigail. AU. Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. Plot rights reserved. I do not own characters.
1. It was a mistake

Juliet's eyes blinked open as the morning sun shone on her face. She yawned and cuddled further into her pillow, not ready to be awakened just yet. It was then that she realized she wasn't at home in her room, nor was she alone. She sat up suddenly, holding the covers over her naked body as she looked around the luxurious hotel room, hers and Shawn's clothes scattered all over. She looked over at Shawn, who was still in a heavy sleep next to her.

_"Oh, God…What have I done?"_

She replayed the events of the previous night in her head.

* * *

They were on a case, working undercover as a couple vacationing at a Palm Springs resort. There had been a series of armed burglaries recently in the Santa Barbara area, and the suspected perpetrators were a married couple whom the SBPD now believed was hiding out at the resort under aliases. Chief Vick had ordered Shawn and Juliet to go there and weed them out. Normally, detective O'Hara would have gone on such an expedition with her partner, detective Lassiter, but the Chief insisted that he was needed to stay and complete another open case…plus she never really trusted Carlton to go undercover anyway. Juliet knew it was a bad idea, but what could she do? She pleaded with the Chief to change her mind and allow Lassiter to come with her instead, but the Chief wouldn't budge. "I'm sure you and Spencer can conduct yourselves as responsible adults…or at least _you _can," was Chief Vick's response.

How was this going to work? They couldn't share a hotel room…not with the sexual tension that was continually hovering between them…not after Juliet had finally admitted her feelings for him only to be turned down for "the one that got away." Shawn had a girlfriend, and it wasn't her. Juliet could hardly be around him anymore without things getting incredibly awkward. How was she going to spend…who knows how long…with him at a romantic location, pretending to be his wife? Did Abigail even know about this assignment? If she did, Juliet was sure she wouldn't approve. She guessed that Abigail had probably sensed the ever-present tension between herself and Shawn. In the end, Juliet insisted that she and Shawn get adjoining rooms. At least they could pretend to be coming and going together, but they wouldn't have to sleep in the same room.

They were involved in an evening of dinner and dancing, that for them was intended to be more of a scouting mission. They mingled with the other couples, trying to determine if any of them were acting suspiciously. Who might have had a stash of stolen cash and credit cards hidden somewhere? In order to blend in, they didn't turn down that glass or two of wine. They weren't drunk, but enough affected by the alcohol to let their inhibitions fall a bit. Shawn didn't stop himself from flirting with her like he used to do before Abigail, and she allowed herself to enjoy it. She allowed him a slow dance and soon her head was resting on his shoulder. He stroked her hair and leaned his cheek against hers, and before she even realized what was happening, their lips were locked in a passionate kiss….an amazing kiss…a kiss filled with an outpouring of four years of pent up feelings for each other…the kind of kiss that made your knees weak, your heart skip a beat, and your stomach flutter.

They separated, suddenly aware of what they were doing. "Oh my God!" said Juliet, her face flushed red. She turned and sprinted out of the ballroom. Shawn stood with his hand over his mouth, for a moment unable to say anything until he could figure out for sure if that had actually just happened. When he decided that it was real, he took off after the blonde junior detective.

"Jules? Wait!"

He caught up to her at the elevator.

"Jules, I…" He actually didn't know what he intended to say.

"Shawn, you cheated on Abigail!" Juliet was horrified at the thought of herself possibly ruining their relationship. If only Shawn wasn't with Abigail this night might have ended happily. But it couldn't. "This shouldn't have happened!" she said getting onto the elevator, Shawn following her. "This can't happen! We need to just go to bed and pretend this never happened!"

"But, Jules…" Shawn began to argue, though still no words followed. They exited the elevator and Juliet walked at a quick pace toward her hotel room, not looking back at Shawn who followed, trying to keep up with her.

"Good night, Shawn!" she said as she reached her door. Shawn stopped. He was now standing in front of his own door but still facing Juliet. She didn't look at him. "I'll see you in the morning. We'll get back to the case in the morning." She entered her room, leaving Shawn standing dumbfounded in the hallway. She closed the door and leaned against it, tears beginning to spill from her eyes.

* * *

Two hours later, Juliet lay awake, unable to get her mind off of the kiss. For those few moments that her lips were touching his, she felt like she was in heaven. She had had a lot of kisses in her 28 years, but none of them ever felt quite like that one. She wanted more.

In the next room, Shawn was in the same boat. For four years, he had been chasing her, and for four years she turned him down. He was with Abigail now. They were happy. Weren't they? He thought they were…but yet…he never could quite get Juliet off his mind. And that kiss! He had never felt that way with Abigail…ever.

Almost at the same time, both of them rolled out of bed and approached the door adjoining their rooms. Shawn opened his side of the door and was going to be polite and knock on hers, but Juliet had already inserted the key and turned the knob. The door swung open and their eyes met.

Juliet looked into his longing hazel eyes and knew that he had been up all night too.

Shawn looked into her piercing blue eyes and melted.

They couldn't resist anymore. Their bodies intertwined and their lips met again. One thing led to another and eventually they were both in Shawn's bed.

* * *

That was six hours ago.

_"Oh, God…What have I done?"_

Juliet gathered her clothes from the floor and, as carefully as she could, returned to her room and locked the adjoining door behind her. Shawn was still asleep.


	2. The morning after

Shawn awoke and it was only a few moments before he remembered what had happened between him and Juliet the night before. He smiled at the thought of rolling over and seeing her fast asleep on the other side of the bed. However, he was disappointed to find that the other side of the bed had been vacated and all of Juliet's clothing that had previously been scattered around the room were missing.

Why had she left? He knew that their evening had started out complicated…and well, it was still complicated, considering that they were co-workers on a work assignment…and that he was technically still dating Abigail. But she couldn't deny that last night was amazing…and magical…and a long time in the making. _Could she?_ Shawn was now sure of how he wanted things to stand between them now. He would have thought she was on the same page too based on how much she was into him…both literally and figuratively…only a few hours ago.

Shawn climbed out of bed and carefully approached the door adjoining their rooms. He opened his side and attempted to open Juliet's door but it was locked. "Jules?" he called through the door, but she didn't answer. He dressed and went into the hallway to try her main door, but there was still no answer. "Maybe she went to breakfast," he thought.

Sure enough, Shawn found her sitting in the hotel lobby with a complimentary breakfast and coffee. She looked up briefly and he prepared to smile at her, but her gaze immediately dropped to the muffin in front of her. She was avoiding him.

"Juliet?" said Shawn with rare usage of her proper first name and he took a seat across from her. "What's wrong?" he asked cautiously.

Juliet stammered. "I…uh..nothing. I just would prefer to eat breakfast alone, ok?"

"Juliet…? I don't understand. Don't we have to talk about this? Last night…"

"…was a mistake," she finished his sentence in a wildly different way than Shawn intended.

Shawn felt like she had stabbed a knife into his heart and his face showed it. "How…how can you say that, Jules? I…it couldn't have been that bad…could it? I thought it was…"

"Shawn," she interrupted, taking his hand in hers. She couldn't stand to see him like this but she had to be honest with him. "That's not what I mean. Last night was…._nice,_" a drastic understatement that was apparent by the pink on her cheeks. But…we can't do this. You're with Abigail. I can't be the '_other woman_.' And I can't be with someone who cheats."

Shawn felt like a second knife had been plunged in next to the first, and he yanked his hand away from Juliet's. "It's a little late for that, don't ya think!"

"Shawn…" Juliet pleaded, wishing she could take back what she said.

"Don't you see, Jules? It wasn't like that. You're not just '_another_' woman to me. I know I have some things to sort out with Abigail now, but you…I know now that _you _are the one that I want. I guess I've known it all along…I just…"

"You just what?! Shawn, you chose her. You chose to be with Abigail that night at the drive-in. You can't just change your mind now! We can't do this! It's…it's…unprofessional. We have a job to do so let's just get it done and get out of here."

"It's done," said Shawn simply.

Juliet glared at him. "What do you mean, 'it's done'?"

"I mean, our perps aren't here. They skipped out yesterday. There's nothing left to do here," said Shawn.

"How long ago did you figure this out? How long were you going to wait to fill me in?!"

"Last night after the….the kiss." Juliet looked away at the mention of their first intimate moment. "I realized bad-toupee man and his psycho wife, and that…those…'Lois and Peter Griffin' look-a-likes both had a run in with our criminals when they mentioned their credit cards going missing after double date with those sexy models…I mean, why would such a young, good-looking couple as them be interested in a double date with some old fogies…unless they've got one of those very disturbing fetishes…"

Juliet tilted her head impatiently and sighed. She just couldn't deal with Shawn's eccentric humor right now.

"…Anyway, the models checked out yesterday. 'Peter Griffin' said they mentioned heading north. I called the Chief and informed her last night." Shawn finished and prepared himself for a storm.

"So…so, you're telling me you _knew _about this last night _before _we….you know…and you didn't tell me?!"

"Jules…things were weird…it was late. I thought you were sleeping and figured I'd tell you in the morning. But then…well, you know what happened next…" Juliet looked as if she understood somewhat but the anger didn't subside completely. "I guess by the time we…it just slipped my mind."

"Ok. Fine. Good," said Juliet tersely, avoiding eye contract. "We can get out of here then." She stood up and left her breakfast behind, uneaten, and headed for the elevator. "I am going to pack and check out. Meet me at the car in 30 minutes."

Shawn sat solemnly as she walked away. He picked up her chocolate-chip muffin and almost took a bite before he realized he had completely lost his appetite. He screwed up again.


	3. Boy talk

**Sorry for the wait. I know everyone has been wanting an update for awhile. Aside from work getting in the way of writing, this story has been the most difficult for me to write. I'm still not sure exactly where I'm going with it. Don't worry, it will definitely end happily, I just don't know how I am going to get there. I'm writing as soon as the ideas come to me.**

* * *

It was a long and awkward ride home. Juliet drove her green Volkswagen and focused on the road, rarely glancing over to Shawn in the passenger seat. She only spoke to him once to ask him to stop tapping his fingers on the dashboard which he had been doing out of nervousness. Shawn tried not to stare at her. He couldn't believe that only last night he had made love to her. After four years, it finally happened and it was even more exhilarating than he imagined. But why? Why did it happen now and this way?

Juliet had to admit to herself that the sex was amazing. Having Shawn sitting beside her the whole drive home, it was tempting to stop the car and make love to him again. But those urges were over-ridden by her mortification at sleeping with another woman's boyfriend. _It just wasn't like her. What was happening to her?_ But just like he had said that she wasn't just "another woman," Shawn to her was also not just "another woman's boyfriend." He was Shawn.

Juliet pulled up to the former Mimi's Fluff and Fold which was currently Shawn's residence. She hoped that Shawn would just get out of the car and not say anything, but she knew that was wishful thinking. She was lucky he had been silent for most of the ride.

Shawn sat still and silent for several long seconds before finally turning to Juliet. "Jules, I…"

"Shawn, please. I'm tired. Just…don't." She didn't need his elegant way with words to reel her in again. She couldn't look at his deep eyes for fear of being pulled in again. She needed to think."

Shawn stopped speaking and put his head down. He waited two more seconds and then got out of the car. Juliet gave him a chance to grab his bag from the trunk and was about to pull away when Shawn's face popped back into the passenger side window.

"It wasn't a mistake," said Shawn. "…last night. Maybe…complicated…poorly timed. But you and I both know it meant something…and that means it can't be a mistake."

Juliet finally allowed herself to look him in the eye but she didn't say anything. She wanted to believe it wasn't a mistake, but she wasn't sure. Shawn turned and entered his makeshift apartment, while Juliet pulled away.

* * *

"What's up with you?" said Gus looking up from the Encyclopedia of Pharmaceuticals that he was studying. He was sitting at his desk across from Shawn and realized that he had made it through several pages without an interruption, which was weird. He hadn't noticed until now, but Shawn had been more quiet than usual and now he was sitting still as a statue, staring at the same page of bestcelebhair,com for at least ten minutes now.

Shawn was snapped out of his reverie by Gus's voice. "Huh? Oh…uh, nothing, Gus. I'm fine," he stammered.

"Shawn, you've been staring at Patrick Dempsey's hair for over ten minutes. Are you going bald or gray or something?"

"Gus! Of course not! You know I'd be rocking and mumbling incoherently in the corner of a padded room if that were happening. I'm just…thinking," Shawn answered.

"What about?" Gus asked carefully.

"I…uh…theee…uh…night crawlers!"

"Night crawlers," said Gus as if questioning Shawn's sanity in the most delicate way possible.

"No, I mean…uh wiffle ball tournament…pancakes…wallabies? I don't know, Gus! Why does it matter?!"

Gus's mouth hung open and he stared at Shawn. "Uh…Shawn. Why are you being so defensive? I only asked…"

"Gus, don't be the half-eaten Dorito taco that I dropped on the floor of the Blueberry! It didn't mean anything! I'm not being defensive about it…I mean…about anything. I mean…nothing happened."

Gus's face lit up in a moment of revelation. He realized Shawn hadn't been acting strange before he left for Palm Springs, only since getting back. "Shawn, did something happen in Palm Springs?"

"No. Of course not. Jules and I didn't do anything. Why….would you even ask that?" Shawn mumbled.

"Jules?" said Gus confused. "I didn't say anything about Juliet. I thought you might have blown your cover or something….hey, wait a minute…did something happen with Juliet?"

"No, man…" said Shawn, the guilty expression on his face not in agreement with his answer.

"Something happened with Juliet!" Gus concluded confidently. "I knew it was a bad idea for you two to go on that undercover mission by yourselves. Did you kiss her, Shawn?"

"Well, I uh…"

"You did! You totally kissed her!"

"No, Gus, stop! I didn't…"

"Don't lie to me Shawn!"

"Ok, fine. I kissed her! Are you happy now, Inspector Gossip?"

Gus smiled proudly at his successful guess and tsk-ed at his buddy. "Shawn, you know that having a steady girlfriend means you're not supposed to go around kissing other woman, even if it _is _someone you've been crushing on for years. So…I'm guessing that your salty attitude means she gave you a nice slap in the face for it? Am I right?"

"No, you're wrong, Gus" Shawn defended.

"So she kissed you back then?" Gus questioned surprised that Juliet would allow Shawn to kiss her when she knew he was dating someone else.

"Well…uh, yeah." Shawn's eyes looked everywhere but at Gus.

"What do you mean, 'well…uh, yeah'?" said Gus using his imitation of a white man voice. "Did she kiss you back or not?"

Shawn shrugged and looked at his feet. "Yeah, she did. She kissed me back….and…" Shawn trailed off.

"And?" Gus prompted him to continue.

Reluctantly, Shawn continued, "…and then we…you know," he said making the hand motion that Gus knew to mean sex.

Gus's eyes bugged from his head. "You slept with her, Shawn?!"

"That's what this (he made the hand motion again) means." Shawn paced across the room while Gus tried to figure out what to say next. Shawn spoke up before him though, this time expressing worry and seriousness. "Yeah, Gus. I slept with Juliet." He scoffed. "I still can't believe it when I say it. I slept with her and it was…amazing… _She_ was amazing…and we had this really wonderful night, and..."

"I don't need the details, Shawn."

"…and now…she thinks it was all a big mistake and she won't even talk to me."

"Forget about Juliet, Shawn. What about Abigail?!" Gus yelled.

"I know, Gus. I cheated on Abigail. And I feel really bad about that. I do. But…" Shawn paused while he tried to figure out what he wanted to say.

"But what?" said Gus, almost angrily.

"I care about Abigail a lot. I might even love her. But I am '_in love_' with Juliet. I know that now. What's more, I think she loves me too. I am just worried I've ruined any chance we had at being together." Shawn had already spilled more guts than he was accustomed, and he picked up his wallet and keys to indicate that he was done talking and was going to head out.

"Wait, Shawn! You're just going to leave now?"

"I have to go, Gus."

"You can't leave Shawn! You can't leave until I tell you how serious a mistake this is and how you've been a jerk to Abigail and that even so, I can appreciate that you love Juliet, but you still have some serious discussion to have with you current girlfriend before you can even think about her!"

"There, you just said it," said Shawn. "Now, I have to go because I have to meet Abigail for lunch…and a 'serious discussion'." Shawn mocked.

"Oh," said Gus. "What are you going to say to her?"

Shawn sighed heavily. "I'm going to tell her the truth. And then I am going to break up with her."


End file.
